These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Archive: December 2013

Why was Rosh Chodesh Tevet different?

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

Originally posted on her blog.  This month, Tevet, at the Kotel really felt different. Maybe it was logistics. It started at 8am and not 7am. I decided to walk. Someone (from WoW) stopped on their way when they recognized me, picked me up, and gave me a ride. Pardes is on Hanukkah break so I Continue Reading »

Being the face of a movement.

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

Check out what I wrote about being the face of Women of the Wall on The Times of Israel Blog.

[PCJE Dvar Torah] The Tower of Bavel

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

I will be sharing this dvar Torah at the Pardes Shabbatonthis weekend – enjoy! Maybe everyone has read the parsha already, but if not, at the end there is a very short story of the Tower of Bavel. And they said: וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה נִבְנֶה-לָּנוּ עִיר, וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם, וְנַעֲשֶׂה-לָּנוּ, שֵׁם: פֶּן-נָפוּץ, עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ. ‘Come, let Continue Reading »

Not just once, but four times!

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: Like any other normal day, I received an email from the synagogue/ beit knesset that I go to every week here in Jerusalem, Mizmor le David. Usually, I delete them because I know the prayer times and have my meals already planned. But with all the chaggim/ holidays, I read through the Continue Reading »

NFTY, I’m shaking what?

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: Sukkot is a holiday that is really about joy. We are commanded to be happy. We build a booth outside in the elements of the weather to show God that we trust and depend on him. We are told to dwell in the booth/sukkah that we made. The rabbis interpreted this to Continue Reading »

A NFTY Gmar Chatima Tova (A good signing into the book of life.)

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: During Yom Kippur, we are commanded to “afflict ourselves.” “עינוי נפש” The gemara has a very lengthy discussion of what this could mean. Does it mean we don’t have sexual relations, does it mean we physically hurt ourselves? No, the gemara concludes, it means that we don’t eat or drink. But how Continue Reading »

Why accept a job that is guaranteed to break your heart?

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

Every summer when I start working with forty reform North American teenagers, I know exactly what is going to happen. I am going to pour my heart and soul into being their mechanechet (educator), taking them through Europe and Israel, into keeping them healthy, and making sure they feel loved. And when they leave five Continue Reading »

Your *Own* Eyes

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

Another dvar Torah I wrote for NFTY! This week in the Parsha, ve’etchanan, Moshe is still reminding the Jewish people about the things they saw and learned in their traveling. He says to the Jewish people, “Take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously, so that you do not forget the things that you saw with Continue Reading »

An Even Stronger “Am”

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

I wrote this dvar Torah after a four-day desert adventure with NFTY: This week we start reading the book of Devarim / Deuteronomy. Devarim takes place right before the Israelites are going to enter the land that God gave them. And Moshe is reminding the Jewish people of the laws that God gave to the Continue Reading »

Thirty Days of Tzitzit

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: The sunset this evening brought an end to my thirty days of wearing tzitzit. Like any Jewish ritual/mitzvah that I have taken on, I started out by “trying it out.” So I thought this was a good approach to wearing tzitzit also. Thirty days, why not? They say that is how long Continue Reading »